GE14 : PAS Confident Winning All Shah Alam Seats

PAS has expressed confidence in winning back the Shah Alam parliamentary seat and both the Batu Tiga and Kota Anggerik state seats there in the 14th general election (GE14).

It said its strength had been tested there previously.

Its Shah Alam division chief, Abdul Halim Omar, said PAS would not be affected by its split with opposition parties DAP and PKR over the last two years.

It claimed the split itself from the Pakatan Rakyat in 2015 had brought in many new members and supporters since then.

He also said three-cornered fights with Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) in Shah Alam would not impact PAS’ chances to win the seats.

“We are sure the massive number of votes given to Pakatan Rakyat previously was due to PAS’ strength.

“The victories of PR parties (in 2008 and 2013 general elections) were because of PAS’ strong machinery. Without PAS, the candidates could not have obtained such high votes,” he said.

“Voters had faith in PAS as it practises a clean administration,” he told FMT.

Halim said current Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, who won the seat under the PAS ticket in the previous general elections in 2008 and 2013 but has since quit the party to join Amanah, would not pose a significant challenge to the PAS’ candidate in GE14 if he was fielded there again.

He said the voters were attracted to PAS’ principles more than its individual candidates.

PAS won Shah Alam with a margin of 9,314 votes in 2008 and 10,939 votes in 2013.

Of the 99,957 who voted there in 2013, 69% were Malays, 15% Chinese and 14% Indians.

Kota Anggerik was won by PKR’s Yaakob Sapari in 2008 and 2013. Batu Tiga was won by PKR’s Rodziah Ismail in both elections.

Khalid recently told FMT there was a high probability of him defending Shah Alam under Amanah’s banner.

He however also said he saw no problem if he was instructed to contest in Johor instead, adding that he had already started campaigning in a few areas there, including Parit Sulong, Tebrau, Pengerang and Tenggara.

There were also speculations in October that Mohamad Sabu (better known as Mat Sabu) may contest in Shah Alam.

Halim added that PAS was not worried about PH’s threat in Selangor because people in their 40s and 60s would not support the coalition due to the presence of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is its chairman.

He said people still remember what Mahathir did during his tenure as prime minister for 22 years.

“To see PH contesting in the election is not a challenge for us, even with the fact that the former prime minister is leading the coalition.”-FMT